


safely sails the boat

by AlexSeanchai



Series: Daughter of the Sun [7]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Gen, Podfic Welcome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 15:13:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20342203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexSeanchai/pseuds/AlexSeanchai
Summary: "Hate to break it to you, Yuuki-chan," said Jounouchi from the corner of the room, "but whatever you're doing, I don't think it's working.""This isn'teasy, you know," Yuuki snapped back, petulant. "He's telling me that everything I learned over the past year and a half iswrongand I have to start over at lessons meant forseven-year-olds."It would probably not help her temper any for her father to point out that infant mages were generally identified far younger, and given their first lessons in self-control and safety precautions the first moment they could pay attention thereafter."Looks easy enough to me," Jounouchi said, smirking. "What's wrong, Yuuki-san, not up to the challenge?"





	safely sails the boat

**Author's Note:**

> Drafted probably 2015.

"Hate to break it to you, Yuuki-chan," said Jounouchi from the corner of the room, "but whatever you're doing, I don't think it's working."

Kaito glared at him, wishing once again that he and his daughter could handle her training in peace and solitude, but Yuuki had flat refused to attempt even the most basic lessons without a friend to oversee.

"This isn't _easy_, you know," Yuuki snapped back, petulant. "He's telling me that everything I learned over the past year and a half is _wrong_ and I have to start over at lessons meant for _seven_-year-olds."

It would probably not help her temper any to point out that infant mages were generally identified far younger, and given their first lessons in self-control and safety precautions the first moment they could pay attention thereafter.

"Looks easy enough to me," Jounouchi said, smirking. "What's wrong, Yuuki-san, not up to the challenge?"

Yuuki looked up from the candle she was meant to be lighting and smirked right back. "If it's so easy, why don't you try it?"

Jounouchi blinked at her, mouth gaping, before recovering. "Me? You want _me_ to—"

"I want you to try," said Yuuki evenly.

Jounouchi scratched his head. "Okay, Yuuki-san, whatever you say…"

"It won't work," said Kaito. "You're not a mage."

"Bet?" muttered Yuuki.

Jounouchi grinned. Yuuki scooted over and Jounouchi plopped down cross-legged in the opened space. Kaito reflexively checked the shield he had on the room, to keep all magic in except that which was grounded, and the personal shields he had on each of the three of them, to keep them safe from harm should something go awry.

Jounouchi straightened his back and took a deep breath without prompting—but of course he'd heard Kaito telling Yuuki to do exactly that every time. "Ground and center," Jounouchi murmured, staring at the candle, and continued to paraphrase Kaito's instructions: "reach for the earth, grab on, hold tight, and send any spare energy that comes up thataway so it doesn't hurt anyone."

Nothing happened.

"I bet you Seto can do this, or could with instruction," Yuuki said quietly.

Jounouchi glared. "Not helping."

Yuuki shrugged and looked away.

"Ground and center, ground and center," Jounouchi mumbled. "Be a tree. Grab the earth like tree roots. Be the sun on the leaves, soaking in until I'm all inside my skin—that still doesn't make any sense by the way; how can I be outside my skin?" Kaito ignored this plaint. The boy wasn't a mage and could never understand. "Be a tree. Be the sun. Be the sun on the candle till it lights."

"Be a gambler," Yuuki interrupted, tossing and catching a die she must have had in her pocket.

Kaito raised his eyebrows. Yuuki met his eyes for a moment, then returned her attention to her friend.

"We're dueling," said Yuuki. "We each have four hundred life points. I have Dark Magician on the field, no magic cards, no traps, no other monsters. You have the Swordsman of Landstar on the field in attack mode and Graceful Dice in your hand. Five means you get a next turn. Six means you win." She tossed the die at Jounouchi, who caught it, gawking at her. "Ground and center just like you always do and roll a six."

Jounouchi shook the die in his cupped palm, still staring at Yuuki.

And the energies of the room—shifted.

With lightning speed, Jounouchi reached for the earth and hooked on in a textbook-perfect grounding, concentrated his energies inward in a textbook-perfect centering, and tossed the spinning die in the air, tangling that concentrated energy with the path of the die. It clattered to the floor.

Six.


End file.
